It’s been apparent lately that I have been on a poetry and prose streak. Well, I say streak, now it’s really all I do. And really (as of right now) it’s all I want to do. I enjoy both forms immensely and seemingly it’s what I work best with.

But with this other things have been ignored. Things such as the Mansion and the Gaucho (the latter though has an end in sight – and can be done with prose and poetry). I suppose what I’m getting at is that now, maybe I am making decisions in regards to my writing and the writer I want to be. The idea of writing a novel is falling (somewhat) by the wayside and it seems I am much more comfortable being a poet/proseist (that’s not a word, is it?). And I am aware of the economic difference between poets and novelists but screw that. I want to write what makes me happy (that sounds so much more selfish than I thought it would.)

Of course that is not to say things won’t change. At some point I may well get the urge to write a novel. But right now and in the foreseeable future it’s going to be poetry and prose flowing from my pen. Which may leave certain things unfinished. And if you like those things I am really sorry. Very much so.

And besides Julio Cortazar already wrote the perfect novel with Hopscotch. Any of my attempts to emulate that would be…well…ummm….guess you can think of the words to put here.

13 Responses to Musings

Hi. Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the introduction to your work. I enjoyed the poems in your first two groupings – the way they play with Chinese forms, the reliance on imagery and mood, the way they reflect the decision you’ve made to write what you love. I’ll be back to read more.

The Chinese forms were the first ones I tried writing (when first starting with poetry) so it has been nice to return to them. Hopefully I will keep developing and practicing them, over time with different subject matter.

We all grapple with what we “should” write…but it must be given over to what bleeds from our pen. Ive never been much for length, so when I attempted nanowrimo challenge on other blog, even that was short poetry and prose story. I didn’t shape it, I let it go… It’s a cliche, but just write. You’ve a strong voice, the words will align as fate sees fit. Cheers ~ a

I agree with libraryscene–Just write. I’ve written all kinds of stuff, but my first love was poetry and I always return to it. P.S. I love the artistic look of your blog . . . and you are a good poet, also.

Love your word “proseist”. I have written all my life, for the first 40 something years just for myself. When I deicded to “go public”, it was going to be a novel, but poetry appears to be my thing. Most times when I sit down to write a poem will form itself. Occassionally it will be a piece of prose – a prose poem – and sometimes a short story. But it would appear poetry is my mainstay.

It didn’t start off as poetry for me but when it started, couldn’t put it back. And I couldn’t be happier with my writing. It’s always coming back to poetry, with occasional forays into prose. Hope it continues.

If I knew how, I’d make proseist a word. Unless there’s already a word for it. Which there probably is.